The NY Times is gaga for charter school stories. Today there's a mini-debate.

Two recent New York Times articles have described opposition to the thriving charter school movement in Harlem. An influential state senator, Bill Perkins, whose district has nearly 20 charter schools, is trying to block their expansion. Some public schools in the neighborhood are also fighting back, marketing themselves to compete with the charters.

...What is causing the push-back on charter schools, beyond the local issues involved?

I've got a short piece in the mini-debate. But I'm wondering about a different question.

Is political push-back -- with potential cuts in funding, new restrictions on operating freedoms -- the biggest risk to charters?

While that stuff is scary, is the bigger risk actually...quality? The average charter school nationally is not so hot, even as some localities -- including Harlem, including Boston -- are excellent.

The good news is some of the groups growing most aggressively, like Uncommon Schools, rock. Rookie teacher Jamie G in Brooklyn visited our training program this weekend as a guest speaker; he mentioned he is observed by his Brooklyn principal every week, with a 30-minute follow up meeting. Awesome support.

But apart from standouts, a bunch of new charters are weak. Leadership and teaching talent pipelines are totally stretched.

And quality will get worse if, as part of the Obama effort to "transform" 5,000 charter schools, many are given the charter label (but continue to give kids the same thin academic gruel).

I've been involved with Match Education for about 12 years — for seven years as a board member and as CEO since 2011. Before joining Match, I started and ran the Newark Charter School Fund and taught education stuff at Harvard Business School (odd but true). Way back, I was a dot-com entrepreneur. My first job in education, at 23, was as an assistant principal in a catholic school in Harlem.

We do four things here. We run a public K12 charter school in Boston (Match Charter School). We run a graduate school of education that prepares rookie teachers for work in high-need schools (Sposato GSE). We run an alternative college and jobs program for low-income students (Match Beyond). And we share our ideas and practices with the world (Match Export).

Assorted personal facts: I moved to New Jersey from Denmark when I was nine (the Danish part explains my weird name). Upon arrival, I learned English by watching television. I have three brothers. My wife and I have three daughters. The first thing on my mind when I wake up every day is espresso - I really like it. I also watch a lot of soccer on tv. I think it's the greatest sport in the world and a force for world peace.